Misrule Published by Random House Worlds on May 10, 2022 Source: Netgalley Arc
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Fiction / LGBTQ+ / General
Pages: 464
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Format: Ebook Arc
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Does true love break curses or begin them? The dark sorceress of “Sleeping Beauty” reclaims her story in this sequel to Malice.
“Fans of reimagined fairy tales and LGBTQ+ themes will be delighted with the conclusion of this fantasy duology.”—Booklist (starred review)The Dark Grace is dead.
Feared and despised for the sinister power in her veins, Alyce wreaks her revenge on the kingdom that made her an outcast. Once a realm of decadence and beauty, Briar is now wholly Alyce’s wicked domain. And no one will escape the consequences of her wrath. Not even the one person who holds her heart.
Princess Aurora saw through Alyce’s thorny facade, earning a love that promised the dawn of a new age. But it is a love that came with a heavy price: Aurora now sleeps under a curse that even Alyce’s vast power cannot seem to break. And the dream of the world they would have built together is nothing but ash.
Alyce vows to do anything to wake the woman she loves, even if it means turning into the monster Briar believes her to be. But could Aurora love the villain Alyce has become?
Or is true love only for fairy tales?
Book Two of the Malice Duology
Review:
Misrule is the second book in the Malice duology and focuses more on what’s left of briar once Alyce destroyed it, how she formed her dark court and her relationship (or lack of one) with Aurora. The second half of this story is more fast-paced; as the story is established, the landscape has changed, and Alyce and aurora have changed. The unique twists in this plot of dark and light magic and somehow forging peace make the story. I thought the introduction of more fae on the page and the battles that play out stuck the landing of the story. We all know how the story is supposed to go but what if we could change it to have a better outcome. The various side characters, such as the imps, the flying horses, and the council members on the dark court, are great additions to the story. I warn you that this book will pull at your heartstrings. All good books should stir some emotion, I believe.
About Heather Walter
Heather Walter is a native southerner who hates the heat. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she is both a former English teacher and a current librarian. Perhaps it is because she’s surrounded by stories that she began writing them. At any given moment, you can find her plotting. This is her first novel.
